Finally, some answers #2

Here are answers to the last five questions:

Kelly asked: Are you going to start watching K-dramas like the rest of us or WHAT?!

I am really interested, but I just haven’t gotten around to checking it out. My Netflix list is already sooo incredibly long, and there are hundreds of books on the bookshelf waiting to be read. So little time…

I’m glad you asked – I love to tell this story! I was living in a studio apt with my dog, Makena, paying way too much rent for such a little place. I decided to look for a bigger place with a yard for Makena. I actually found a small house to rent, but it wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for. It didn’t have a back door, which was really weird. To let Makena into the back yard, I had to take her out the carport door, then through the gate to the back yard, which was really inconvenient. However, it was what I could afford.

The day that I was supposed to sign the rental agreement, a coworker of mine knew that I was moving and suggested I look on our company’s intranet ‘classifieds’ for good deals on furniture. While looking at furniture, I noticed the category “Roommates Wanted.” I really didn’t want a roommate, but I decided to take a peek. I saw a listing for a room in a house in a nice neighborhood, with a backyard and pets were allowed! The monthly rent was only $400. It said to call Brian D**** and gave his extension. I immediately thought of all the money I could save, but I was wary of moving in with a stranger – and a guy, at that!

I had been with the company for about five years, so I emailed EVERYONE I knew, asking if anyone knew this Brian D**** guy and what his story was. I received numerous replies from people I trusted saying that he was a great guy and would be a trustworthy roommate.

So, I called Brian and we arranged to meet in a busy courtyard located between the company’s buildings. We immediately hit it off [as roommates] and had a lot to talk about – I was in a relationship at the time and wasn’t thinking romantically. Besides, everyone knows that it’s a terrible idea to get romantically involved with a roommate/landlord. Next, we met at a dog park so our dogs could meet… they were instantly best buddies! It seemed like a good fit, so I decided to move in.

There was a period of about two months between when we met and when my old lease expired, so for two months I lived in my old apt and we communicated via email and phone to talk about house stuff. Now that I think about it, there was a whole lot of flirting going on that I pretended not to notice at the time. Also during that time, the relationship I was in ended. Brian was such a sweet landlord that he even offered to help me move. He had a truck, so that made it so much easier! In those two months and during the move, I realized that I was really attracted to Brian. He asked me to dinner one night, we had some wine, and we were married three years later.

Kris asked: Have you gotten any strange adoption questions since D has been home?

I’m surprised that I haven’t gotten any strange ones yet. The people who have asked if he’s adopted were either interested in adopting for themselves or had a family member who was adopted. Many people assume he is Chinese. Also, we were on a play date at the zoo with another Korean adoptee, and someone asked me if they were twins.

Heidi asked: Did you consider any other names besides what you ended up with for D?

For a long time, we were set on the name Jackson, but one day my dad mentioned that he had always liked the name Daniel. Brian and I loved it immediately. Also, we weren’t planning to keep his Korean name at first. So, the baby shower invitations say Daniel Tai. We ended up keeping his name, so he is now Daniel JeongSoo.

Emily asked: If you had 24 hours completely to yourself… no hubs, no babes… what would you do? what would you eat? what would you wear? etc…

Yaaaay, I love this question! I have been thinking long and hard about this one for a couple weeks. I’m assuming that money is no object, right? So, I would sleep in a little then go for a nice long hike. Then, I would check into one of our beautiful local resorts and spend the day getting spa treatments and lounging by the pool (I’ve always wanted to do that). Then, I would stop by Anthrop*logie to pick up a cute dress and new shoes before meeting my girlfriends for dinner at a Cuban restaurant that I love. Lots of sangria and giggling, then the limo takes me back to the resort, where I sleep in and wake up refreshed with no hangover!